Doll&#39;s eye construction



May 28, 1940. A. J. KNOTT 2,202,106

DOLLS EYE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Aug. 4, 1936 ATTORNEY Patented May 28, 1940 Unitas stares DOLLS EYE CONSTRUCTION Arthur J. Knott, Natick, Mass.

Application August 4, 1936, Serial No. 94,148 Renewed March 11, 1939 8 Claims.

My invention relates to a dolls eye construction and more especially to an eye set adapted to be mounted within a dolls head and to rotate,

H as the doll is inclined, to simulate opening and closing movements of the eyes.

The usual modern dolls head is made out of mouldable material with a closed top and a neck open at its lower end. In the case of sleeping dolls eye sockets of spherical contour are i" provided in which the eyes are received, the eyes, together with their supporting mechanism, being introduced through the neck opening. In the design of a dolls eye-set it is necessary to take into consideration the fact that the usual material of a dolls head has a tendency to shrink and that the eye set must be such as to remain operative in spite of such shrinkage. Furthermore, the opening in the neck is rather small and the eye set must be suitable for insertion, ge adjustment, and attachment through this opening. It has also been considered desirable to mount the eyes so as to permit inward yielding movement of the eyes which tends to avoid breakage in case a child presses on one or both 5; of the eyes with her fingers applied to the eye openings. One of the principal objects of the invention is to bring about an eye set capable of meeting the above conditions. 1

Another object of the invention is to bring 30 about a form of eye set which not only may be conveniently assembled Within a dolls head through the neck opening thereof, but in which the several parts are so arranged as to be capable of transportation or handling before and dur- 5 mg assembly within the dolls head withoutdanger of their becoming disassembled.

It is a common practice to mount the eyes of an eye set on the ends of a cross rod, the latter being supported for rotation on a bracket or mszplate attached in some manner within the head. Such an arrangement requires care and skill on the 31: of a workman assembling the eye mechanism within the head and there-is always the danger that shrinkage of the head or relative 45-'movement of the mounting plate or bracket with respect to the eye sockets will prevent the eyes from seating properly within these sockets. important feature of the invention resides in a form of eye mechanism in which the eyes are 50'. so supported within their sockets as to be capable of movement inwardly with respect thereto, but in which the use of a supporting bracket, plate or the like is avoided.

In the preferred form of the invention, here- 55 inafter described, I provide for the resilient movement of the eyes in their sockets, with respect to the dolls head, and a further feature of the invention resides in a form of eye set in which not only inwardly movement but a certain amount of upward and downward movements 5 may be combined with the inward movement, the amount of any such movement being limited so that the eyes may not be completely moved out of position in their sockets. Thus the eye mechanism of the invention is capable of meeting external pressure applied tothe eyes in any direction, regardless of the position of the eyes with respect to their opening or closing movements.

A still further feature of the invention resides in a relatively simple form of construction for accomplishing the above objects and one which is not only economical as to manufacture but capable of production largely out of sheet metal parts.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the drawing.

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a dolls head on an enlarge scale and showing an eye set according tothe invention mounted therein;

Fig, 2 is a cross sectional View along line 22 of Fig. 1; I

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view along line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view along line 4-4 of Fig. 1; v i

Fig. 5 is an elevational View of a part of the improved eye mechanism; a

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing the under side of a plate for supporting the eyes within their sockets;

Figs. '7 and 8 areperspective views showing the constructional details of the eyes, these fig- 4i)" ures being on the same scale as Fig. l;

, Fig. 9 is a cross sectional view along line 99 ofFig. 1, and

Fig. 10 is a longitudinal sectional view of a modification.

Referring now to the drawing, in which I have illustrated my invention by showing a preferred embodiment of the same, the reference numeral 29 indicates, in general, a dolls head of any n usual construction and having the usual spaced eye sockets of spherical contour (not shown herein). Mounted within the head 20 is the improved eye set, generally indicated by the reference nu-' meral 2i, and including a pair of eye members 22 and 23. The eye members are identical each which is on the rear side of the member 32.

consisting of a hollow sheet metal shell 24, of substantially hemispherical shape, against the rear peripheral edges 25 of which back plates 26 are secured by means of tabs 21 and 28, integrally formed on the upper and lower diametrically opposite portions of edges 25 and received in diametrically opposite slots 29 and 33, in back plates 26, the tabs being sent over against the outer faces 3! of the plates.

Extending between the eye members and supporting them for common rotary movement in the eye sockets, is a cross member 32, in this instance struck out of sheet metal, the crossmember having flat generally rectangular ends 33 and 34, connected by a semi-cylindrical central part 35, the curved external surface 33 of The flat ends 33 and 34 fit against the rear or outer faces 3! of the back plates, and are provided with parallel upper and lower longitudinally directed edges 31 and 38, fitting between the arms 39 and 40, struck out of the material of the back plate 26 and bent around the ends 33 and 34 at the edges 31 and 38, the arms 39 and 40 forming slots within which the ends 33 and 34 are received. By means of these connections the eyes are capable of sliding movement along the cross member to vary the center to center spacing of the eyes and thus to take care of variations in the spacing of the sockets in the dolls head.

The parallel edges 3! and 38 are formed by slotting the opposite edges of the flat ends 33 and 34, the slots forming shoulders 4!, 42, 43 and 44, which limit the amount of movement of each respective eye member along the cross member, and prevent the eye members from becoming detached from the cross member, either during shipment of the eye sets or during assembly thereof within a dolls head. It would be within the invention to bend the arms 39 and 43 into position embracing the ends of the cross member 32, after assembly of the plates on the respective ends of the cross member. However, for convenience of assembly and in order to reduce the cost of manufacture, the arms 39 and G6 are given their final shape prior to assembly of the back plate "Son the shells Hi. The ends of the cross member are shaped to form spaced longitudinally directed arms 45 and 46 on which are the shoulders M and 42. The extreme ends of the armsmay be readily sprung together so that the shoulders 4| and 42 may pass through the opening formed by arms 39 and 45, whereupon the arms 45 and 46 may spring apart to hold the eye member on the end of the cross member as described above. If desired the ends of each arm 45 and 46 may be rounded as at ill and 53 to facilitate the assembly of the cross member on the back plates, and also to eliminate sharp edges which might interfere with the rotary movement of the eyes. I

Attached to the head 20 between and above the eye sockets is a plate 39 on which a fiat spring 55 is mounted, in this instance the spring being riveted to the plate at The lower end f the spring 50 bears against the semi-cylindrical surface 36, of the cross member, to hold the eye members resiliently in their sockets and to permit movement thereof inwardly out of the sockets. In this instance the spring 58 is of con,- cave cross section, as shown in 9, the edges 50a and 53bengaging the surface the frictional contact of the spring with the surface 35 being that of a minimum. It will be noted that the axis of the semi-cylindrical portion of the cross member is in alignment with the centers of the hemispherical eye shells, so that as the eyes rotate in their sockets the semi-cylindrical portion of the cross member rotates freely in contact with the spring.

On the lower ends of plate 49 at the opposite side edges thereof are inwardly directed arms 52 and 53, having arcuate surfaces 54 and 54a facing towards the cross member, the center of curvature of the surfaces 54 and 54a coinciding with the axis of the cylindrical portion of the cross memher when the several parts of the eye set are mounted within the dolls head. In order to support the plate 39 within the dolls head, the plate is provided, near its upper end and on the opposite sides thereof, with arms 55, 56, 5! and 58, shaped to fit an integrally formed lug 59 of the dolls head 23, the lug being above and between the eye sockets. The ends of each of the arms 55, 56, 57 and 58 are pointed, as at 63, 60a, 60b, and 500, the pointed ends of the arms being clinched into the lug 59.

In order to give swinging movement to the cross member 32, and thus opening and closing movements of the eyes as the doll is tilted, tabs BI and 52 are formed on the central part of the cross member, the tabs passing through suitable openings in a downwardly extending strap 63 on the lower end of which is a weight 64, the weight 54 in this instance being clinched on the strap 63, a spring 65 clamped between the plate-B4 and the strap 63 serving to act as a resilient bumper to cushion the movement of the eyes into open position as the doll is tilted.

In Fig. there is shown a modification in which the plate 56 is provided with an offset portion ill, the latter extending over the cross member 32 ofthe eyes. A spring 68, which is substantially the same as spring 53, is attached to plate 66, by means of pivot 63, the spring passing through a slot 75, in the plate 66, and thence under the oifset portion. In this case the arms H and T2, are much shorter and the lug on the interior of the dolls head may be of less depth than that required for the plate 59.

It will be noted that the eye members, of the improved eye set, are capable of independent movement and may adjust themselves freely to the eye sockets, the center to center spacing of which may vary to a considerable degree. If the eyes are pressed inwardly into the dolls head they may readily yield against the tension of the fiat spring 53, the amount of movement of the eyes being limited by contact of the cross memher with the arcuate surfaces 5 and 54a of inwardly directed arms 52 and 53,

While I have shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it will be readily understood that it is not to be limited to the details shown, but is capable of modification and variation within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye receiving sockets of spherical contour the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, means connecting the eye members for common rotary movement thereof, said means having a cylindrical portion intermediate its ends, spring means engaging the cylindrical portion to resiliently urge the eye members into the sockets, and

means independently mounted in the dolls head.

and normally spaced from, and out of engagement as an entirety with, the cylindrical portion,

said last-named means including means for limiting the amount of movement of the cylindrical portion inwardly of the dolls head but leaving the cylindrical portion free as to the direction of such movement.

2. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye receiving sockets of spherical contour the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, means connecting the eye members for common rotary movement thereof, said means having a cylindrical portion intermediate its ends, spring means engaging the cylindrical portion to resiliently urge the eye members into their sockets, and means independently mounted in the dools head and normally spaced from and out of engagement as an entirety with the cylindrical portion, said independently mounted means including means having arcuate surfaces with which the connecting member may contact upon a predetermined amount of inward movement, the center of curvature of the arcuate surfaces coinciding with the axis of the cylindrical portion of the connecting means when the eyes are in normal position in their sockets.

3. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye receiving sockets of spherical contour the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, means connecting the eye members for common rotary movement, a plate adapted to be secured within the dolls head and to extend over the connecting means, a spring mounted on the plate and engaging the connecting means to resiliently urge the eyes into their sockets, said plate being normally out of contact as an entirety with the connectingmeans and means forming a part of the plate, adapted to engage the connecting means to limit the amount of movement of the eye members with respect to their sockets.

4. An eye set according to claim 3 in which the plate is provided with a-rcuate edge portions facing but normally out of engagement with the connecting means and adapted to limit the amount of movement of the connecting means.

5. An eye set according to claim 1 in which the last named means comprises a plate adapted to be secured within the dolls head, said plate having spaced arcuate portions facing the cylindrical portion of the connecting means and adapted tolimit the amount of movement of the latter, the axes of the eye members, semi cylindrical portion, and the arcuate portions coinciding when the eyes are in normal position in their sockets.

6. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye-receiving sockets of spherical contour, the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, a member connecting said eye members for common rotary movement, said connecting member being provided with flat ends fitting againstthe backs of the eye members, each flat end having parallel longitudinally directed edges, means on the eye members embracing the flat ends at the parallel edges thereof, and shoulders on the flatends of the connecting means, the shoulders limiting the movement of the eye members along the connecting means.

7. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye-receiving sockets of spherical contour, the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, a member connecting said eye members for common rotary mvement,-said connecting member being provided with flat ends fitting against the backs of the eye members, each fiat end having parallel longitudinally directed edges, means on the eye members embracing the flat ends at the parallel edges thereof, and shoulders on the flat ends of the connecting means, the shoulders limiting the movement of the eye members along the connecting, means, the ends of the connecting member being bifurcated.

8. In an eye set for a dolls head having a pair of spaced eye receiving sockets of spherical contour the combination of, eye members shaped to fit and to be received one in each of the sockets, means connecting said eye memb rs for common rotary movement, means engaging the connecting means for resiliently urging said eye members into the sockets, means for limiting the movement of the connecting means and eye members away from the sockets against the action of the resilient means, said last named means having cylindrical surfaces engageabie by the connecting means to limit the movement of the eye members, the axis of generation of said surfaces passing through the geometric centers of the eye members when the latter are in normal position in the eye sockets, said connecting member being provided with flat ends fitting against the backs of the eye members, each fiat end having parallel longitudinally directed edges, means on the eye members embracing the flat ends at the parallel edges thereof, and means for limiting the movement of the eye members along the connecting means.

ARTHUR J. KNOTT. 

